Contour sheet



R. E. ENGER CONTOUR SHEET May 19, 1959 Filed May 7, 1956 INVENTOR. zoy 5. 11527" BY .zi zzorngys Unite CONTOUR SHEET Roy E. Enger, Wheaten, Ill., assignor to Sears, Roebuck and Co., Chicago, 11]., a corporation of New York My invention relates to articles known in the trade as contour sheets.

In a typical contour sheet, as commonly found on the market, there is provided an envelope which extends over the top and all four sides of a mattress and for a short distance inwardly of the bottom edges thereof. Thus, the sheet is more or less fitted to the mattress.

Sheets of this character are subject to a number of major disadvantages. in the first place, the application of a contour sheet to a mattress and its removal therefrom are arduous tasks which are unsuitable for the average housewife, inasmuch as the mattress must be raised at all four corners and warped into or out of the corner pockets of the sheet, as the case may be, de pending on whether the bed is being made or unmade.

In the second place, the ironing of such a sheet is much more difficult than that of an ordinary fiat sheet, and this operation is especially arduous in home laundering, by reason of the difficulties of rendering flat an article of such shape.

The prior art shows numerous attempts to improve the construction of the standard contour sheet in an effort to avoid these major objections, such modified constructions involving various expedients such as elastic cords disposed in the hem of the sheet, fasteners such as snap pers, zippers and the like arranged in the corners, etc., etc. These various expedients are themselves open to objection, not only adding substantially to the cost of the article but detracting from its longevity, etc.

I have devised an improvement in articles of this character which avoids the objections mentioned above with regard to standard contour sheets as Well as those of the various modified forms which have heretofore been suggested.

In substance, my invention contemplates a sheet which is normally flat and hence may be ironed fiat, just like any standard sheet, but is large enough to extend over the top and side edges of a mattress and also to extend inwardly of the bottom edges a sufficient distance to form a pocket, as is provided by a standard contour sheet. My improved sheet is approximately rectangular in shape, preferably with rounded corners, each corner portion having a hem in which draw strings are disposed. Thus, my improved sheet is applied flat to the mattress and when the draw strings are drawn up in the corners the sheet attaches itself to the mattress so as to pocket the latter in about the same manner as a standard contour sheet.

My invention will be best understood by reference to the appended drawings forming a part of this specification and illustrating a preferred embodiment of my invention, wherein Fig. 1 is a perspective view looking up toward the underside of a mattress to which a sheet embodying my invention has been applied;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary plan View on an enlarged scale of a corner portion of my improved sheet;

States atent "ice Fig. 3 is a perspective view on a reduced scale of the sheet shown in Fig. 1, and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along the line 44 of Fig. 2.

The numeral 10 indicates a sheet embodying my invention, which may be formed of the usual textile material such as woven cotton or the like, and is of generally rectangular shape and of sufficiently large size, as compared with the mattress 12 to which it is to be applied, to permit overlapping of all four sides 15 as well as to extend inwardly a relatively short distance underneath the mattress, as indicated at 18. The corners C of my improved sheet are preferably rounded.

Each of the corners C is provided with a hollow hem 20 (Figs. 2 and 4), thus providing an elongated tubular pocket 21 in which are disposed a pair of draw strings 23, 23, preferably in the form of inelastic textile tapes. These tapes are secured at one end, viz., tape 23 being secured as at 24 and tape 23' being secured as at 24' within the hem Zll.

Obviously, my improved sheet may be applied to a mattress in various ways. Perhaps the simplest mode of application is to lay the sheet 10 on top of the mattress with the marginal portions of the sheet overhanging the sides of the mattress, as seen in the free corner of Fig. 1. Each corner of the sheet may then be secured by pulling on the free ends of the tapes 23, 23', thus causing the sheet to pucker and form a pocket inclosing the mattress corner as seen in the three closed corners of Fig. 1. The tapes are then tied under the corner securing the sheet in place. Each corner in turn is so secured, resulting in tlge mattress being fully enclosed as in a standard contour s eet.

The sheet may be removed in an equally simple manner by simply untying the tapes and pulling out the puckers at each corner in sequence, whereupon the sheet may be readily pulled oh? the mattress exactly like a standard flat sheet.

Thus, it will be seen that the arduous lifting and warping of the mattress into a pocket, as required in the application and removal of an ordinary contour sheet, is entirely avoided. Furthermore, it will be seen that the laundering of my improved sheet is a simple operation inasmuch as it is entirely flat and lacking in any metal parts such as zippers, snappers, etc., which may be injurious to a home mangle and which might readily be torn out in the laundering operation.

My invention has a number of additional advantages over articles of like class with which I am familiar. Thus, sheets embodying my invention are applicable not only as sheets, but also as mattress covers, and may be applied to mattresses which vary considerably in thickness. My invention may also be employed in the form of slip covers for seat cushions and the like.

An additional advantage inherent in my invention is that sheets embodying it may be used not only as bottom sheets, but also as a top sheet disposed over the sleeper, a feature not found in the ordinary contour sheet.

Furthermore, as an inherent characteristic of sheets embodying my invention, when used to cover a crib mattress for infants, they may be applied to mattresses of various sizes and shapes as well as thickness. Thus it will be seen that such articles have a high degree of flexibility in the use thereof.

Various changes coming Within the spirit of my invention may suggest themselves to those skilled in the art. Hence I do not wish to be limited to the specific embodiments shown and described or uses mentioned, but intend the same to be merely exemplary, the scope of my invention being limited only by the appended claims.

I-claim:

'1. A substantially rectangular sheet of the character described, designed to cover a mattress, cushion or the like, having a hem extending around each corner forming an elongated pocket open at both ends of the pocket, a pair of tapes partially disposed in each pocket, each tape having'a free end extending out of its pocket and also having its opposite end secured to the sheet within the same pocket, the free ends of each pair of tapes normally extending out of opposite ends of the same pocket, the point of attachment of each tape being sufficiently remote from the free end thereof that pulling on the free ends of each pair of said tapes will result in drawing up the corner of the sheet to form a pocket adapted to inclose the corner of the article covered by the sheet.

2. A combination as defined in claim 1 wherein the corners of said sheet are rounded.

'3. Acombination as in claim 2 wherein said tapes are inelastic.

4. A textile fabric for overlying attachment to a mattress, cushion or the like, said fabric being of generally rectangular shape having rounded corners and of such size that said fabric may extend over the sides and in Wardly of the bottom edges of a mattress or the like to be covered by said fabric, each corner of the fabric having an elongated hollow hem open at both ends, and a pair of substantially inelastic drawstrings extending through each hem, said drawstrings each having a free end extending a substantial distance out of one of said heme and each drawstring also having its opposite end secured within its hem to the fabric at a distance sufiiciently remote from the free end of the drawstring that, by pulling onthe free ends of the drawstrings, the corner portion of the fabric may be puckered into the form of a pocket adapted to inclose a corner of the mattress or the like.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 484,951 Everett Oct. 25, 1892 1,681,922 Boch Aug. 28, 1928 2,161,448 Bishop June 6, 1939 2,787,794 Hughes Apr. 9, 1957 2,804,632 Ford Sept. 3, 1957 FOREIGN PATENTS 7 701,899 Great Britain Ian. 6, 1954 

